One of Queen Lane's six bumpouts | Image via phillywatersheds.orgQueen Lane in East Falls now boasts the city’s first Stormwater bumpouts a.k.a. native grass, tree, and plant-filled extensions of the sidewalk designed to catch stormwater runoff from the street.

The bumpouts are just one of the Water Department’s planned green stormwater infrastructure tools, which also include flow-through planters, pervious pavement, rain gardens, and green roofs. When it comes to the bumpouts, there’s no one-size fits all design. Instead, each is created to fit the site where it will get to work on managing rain water runoff. The six new bumpouts in Queen Lane range from 24 to 80 feet, and have the power to manage between 800,000 and 900,000 gallons of runoff each year.

According to the Office of Watershed’s Green Stormwater Infrastructure Project Map, bumpouts on Passyunk Ave., Dickinson Square, Chew Playground (Ellsworth St. between 18th and 19th), 3rd and Fairmount Ave., and Thompson and Columbia Ave. are currently in the design phase.